NTAs Winners 2017: Who Should Win And Who Will Win?

More heavyweight than the Soap Awards and less stuffy than the BAFTAs, the National Television Awards is always an entertaining night (if not always for the right reasons - I'm looking at you, Judy Finnigan).
ITV

More heavyweight than the Soap Awards and less stuffy than the Baftas, the National Television Awards is always an entertaining night (if not always for the right reasons - I'm looking at you, Judy Finnigan).

Tonight will see the stars of the small screen come together to celebrate the best (and sometimes worst) of the last 12 months, as they battle it out in the hope of winning one of 15 gongs. And with 2016 being a brilliant year in tellyland, it looks set to be one of the closest-fought yet.

But who will win? And more importantly, who should win? Here's a look at all the runners and riders...

TALENT SHOW

Nominated:Britain's Got Talent, Strictly Come Dancing, The X Factor

Who should win? With its most glittering line-up in years, and Ed Balls single-handedly saving 2016 with his Gangnam Style routine, it will be a travesty if it's not Tess and Claud up there on the stage for Strictly tonight.

Who will win? With X Factor ratings at their lowest ever, it's looking pretty unlikely they will triumph, while BGT has historically never won before, so this one is Strictly's for the taking.

CHALLENGE SHOW

Nominated:I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!, Love Island, MasterChef, The Apprentice, The Great British Bake Off

Who should win? While it might have been the poignancy of knowing it was the last BBC series making us believe it was the best run of Bake Off yet, there's no denying the show hit new heights in terms of ratings, so I'm predicting this will translate to votes too.

Who will win? With I'm A Celebrity having moved category from Best Entertainment, it's hard to tell if it will steal this one, having never been up against these shows before. But if I were a betting man, I'd be putting my money on Bake Off.

SERIAL DRAMA

Nominated:Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks

Who should win? With its stunt week, Robron's continued ups and downs and the constant un-spoilt surprises producers threw up, Emmerdale is certainly the most deserving in this category this year.

Who will win? As ever, it's likely to be a two-horse race between Corrie and Easties, and while neither had their best year in 2016, I reckon the recent stillbirth storyline could help clinch it for Corrie.

COMEDY

Nominated:Benidorm, Mrs Brown's Boys, Orange Is The New Black, The Big Bang Theory

Who should win? Ideally I'd always champion a home-grown show to win at the NTAs, but given our only two offerings are Benidorm and Mrs Brown's Boys, I'm backing Orange Is The New Black this year. Series four of the Netflix hit was a standout, with a deeply shocking season finale, which deserves a gong alone. Maybe not for best comedy, though...

Who will win? It's the show everyone loves to hate, but Mrs Brown's Boys continues to be as popular as ever, and is likely to scoop its fourth NTA.

DRAMA

Nominated:Casualty, Cold Feet, Game Of Thrones, Happy Valley, The Night Manager

Who should win? There's a case of why at least three of these shows should win this award, but for me, 'Cold Feet' completely stole the show last year. Writer Mike Bullen delivered a masterclass in how to bring a classic show back, and the cast were as witty, sharp and moving as they were all those years ago. Pete's depression storyline was also one of the stand-out TV moments of the year, and it would be nice to see some recognition for John Thomson's incredible performance.

Who will win? Tom Hiddleston's naked bottom alone has probably bagged this one for The Night Manager.

PERIOD DRAMA

Nominated:Call The Midwife, Peaky Blinders, Poldark, Stranger Things, Victoria

Who should win? Steven Knight's Brummie gangster thriller, Peaky Blinders, continues to go from strength-to-strength with its all-star cast, and it still feels little-celebrated compared to the other shows in its category.

Who will win? While the sight of Aidan Turner's bare torso will probably have forced people to pick up the phone and vote, Victoria was an impressive breakthrough hit and did beat its BBC rival in the all-important Sunday night ratings war.

FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT

Nominated:DIY SOS: The Big Build, Gogglebox, Making A Murderer, Paul O'Grady: For The Love Of Dogs, Tattoo Fixers

Who should win? While we've lost a few favourites from the Gogglebox sofas, the last series gifted us my favourite contributors ever, in the form Bristolian pensioners Mary and Marina. And the thought of them trotting up on stage to collect the award would literally make me burst with happiness.

Who will win? The pooches could swing it for Paul O'Grady, but it's looking like the third year lucky for the Gogglebox gang, and Scarlett Moffatt's surge in popularity after her I'm A Celebrity stint will do nothing to harm its chances.

LIVE MAGAZINE SHOW

Nominated:BBC Breakfast, Loose Women, Sunday Brunch, The One Show, This Morning

Who should win? Listen, I'm not going to list a hundred reasons why This Morning deserve this award (I mean, I definitely could), but Holly and Phil's constant innuendos and giggling fits alone make it one of the funniest shows - sometimes unintentionally - on the box.

Who will win?This Morning, because who doesn't want to see Holly and Phil hungover tomorrow, quite frankly.

DRAMA PERFORMANCE

Nominated: Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders), Jenna Coleman (Victoria), Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley), Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager)

Who should win? Jenna Coleman has come a long way from her days on Emmerdale and Victoria really felt like the moment she had arrived. And as fantastic as Sarah Lancashire is in Happy Valley, it would be great to see Jenna follow in the footsteps of the likes of Sheridan Smith and her former Doctor Who co-star Matt Smith.

Who will win? Tom Hiddleston *groans*

ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME

Nominated:Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Celebrity Juice, The Graham Norton Show, The Last Leg

Who should win? A win for Graham Norton is long overdue - having done a chat show for two decades, he is still at the top of his game, and continues to pull in guests Wossy and Alan Carr could only dream of.

Who will win? I mean, is this one really up for debate? Ant and Dec have it in the bag.

NEWCOMER

Nominated: Duncan James (Hollyoaks), Faye Brookes (Coronation Street), Lloyd Everitt (Casualty), Tilly Keeper (EastEnders)

Who should win? Tilly Keeper has been a revelation as Louise Mitchell, and has turned the character of Phil Mitchell's daughter into the best addition the young cast has had in years.

Who will win? Duncan From Blue (as he should always be called) already has a huge fan base and has made quite the impression on Hollyoaks since arriving last year as copper Ryan Knight, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him win.

SERIAL DRAMA PERFORMANCE

Nominated: Danny Miller (Emmerdale), Jack P Shepherd (Coronation Street), Lacey Turner (EastEnders), Natalie J Robb (Emmerdale)

Who should win? Man, this one is a toughie. All four actors have really pulled it out of the bag with a range of emotional performances in the past 12 months. But Lacey Turner's portrayal of Stacey Branning's postpartum psychosis was a masterclass in acting, nevermind soap acting. Quite why soap stars aren't considered worthy enough of the main acting category still remains a mystery to me.

Who will win? While the odds are in Emmerdale's favour with two nods (and Robron fans surely backing Danny), I think Lacey will just clinch it.

TV JUDGE

Nominated: David Walliams, Len Goodman, Mary Berry, Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell

Who should win? And Judge Rinder is not in this category because?! Joking aside, Nicole Scherzinger was about the only thing that kept us watching the last series of The X Factor, somehow being even more of a ridiculous human being than the last time she was on it.

Who will win? Having both departed Great British Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing respectively, Mary and Len look shoe-ins for this, as fans look to honour their time on the nation's favourite shows. But if I had to call it, I reckon Mary's exit from Bake Off may have tugged at the heartstrings a wee bit more.

DAYTIME

Nominated:Come Dine With Me, Pointless, The Chase, The Jeremy Kyle Show

Who should win? Why can't This Morning be nominated for this category too?!

Who will win? With Pointless and The Chase both attracting much press attention in recent months, it's probable one of the two will win, but Bradley and his tendency to burst into laughter will give The Chase the edge.

TV PRESENTER

Nominated: Ant and Dec, Gary Lineker, James Corden, Mel and Sue, Rylan Clark-Neal

Who should win? If Mel and Sue stand a chance of winning any year, it's this year. Having quit their role as hosts of Bake Off after its move to Channel 4, the nation is still feeling bereft at losing the two real stars of the show. And after seven years in the tent, an NTA would be the perfect way of thanking them for all their breadcellent (doesn't quite work, does it?) punnery.

Who will win? The bookies are claiming it could be the first time in 16 years Ant and Dec don't win this award, but I'm still expecting to see the Geordie duo collect the gong tonight. And when they're as good at their job as they are, it's hard to begrudge them.

The National Television Awards air tonight (25 January) at 7.30pm on ITV.

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